Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 159
Brandon gulped hard as he stared at the plant. Karlos kneeled down and meticulously checked the plant.
"No doubt about it. It's ginseng." Karlos spoke with certainty, his eyes on the leaves and the red berries as he studied every detail.
"Really?" Brandon leaned closer to take a look.
"From the looks of it, it's at least 300 years old." Karlos brushed away a bit of soil, revealing more of the root beneath.
"..."
Now Brandon was speechless, his mind completely blank.
'Is this the difference between an intellectual and someone who isn't? Karlos attended college and gained so much knowledge.' Brandon thought with a mix of awe and jealousy.
Karlos was actually not sure, but for some reason, the ginseng had a unique aura that he couldn't explain. Something ancient and heavy seemed to linger around it. He gently touched the leaves.
"... Let's look further. I feel like there is more ginseng on this island."
"A-Alright." Brandon nodded quickly, feeling both nervous and excited.
After searching the whole island, they found three ginseng plants. Two were smaller, while the biggest one was the 300-year-old ginseng they first saw.
"Do you know how to harvest ginseng? I heard that the roots should be meticulously harvested. If the roots are damaged, the effects will lessen," Brandon asked, remembering what he had heard from older people.
"I know how to."
Karlos had watched a few videos before and remembered the general process.
"..."
At this point, Brandon believed him without question. In the first place, Karlos had recognized the ginseng, which already proved his knowledge.
The two looked at each other and made a decision. What happened last time made them realize that their fishing spot and the island would be discovered sooner or later. It was inevitable. Many fishermen had already tried to follow them. Karlos and Brandon knew that the island wouldn't remain theirs forever. The secret couldn't last forever.
Before that happened, they had to harvest the ginseng as soon as possible, before someone else stumbled upon them.
"Let's use our flat screwdriver to loosen the soil. Follow my instructions." Karlos took charge.
"O-Okay," Brandon replied immediately, ready to help however he could.
The two returned to their bangka and grabbed their tools. Karlos also texted a neighbor to inform Maya that he would be home late. He said that they had caught more fish but didn't elaborate.
"Let's loosen the soil around the ginseng. Follow my lead." Karlos gently pushed the screwdriver into the ground and began digging slowly. He wasn't entirely sure if he was doing it correctly, but he continued anyway.
The two worked together. Brandon brushed away the soil while Karlos carefully dug around the plant. Surprisingly, he didn't damage the root at all. Even the thin, hair-like roots remained intact.
They dug up all three ginseng plants and only finished around 3 p.m. They had spent five hours carefully harvesting the ginseng.
They returned to their bangka and left the island. However, just as they were about to leave the perimeter, another bangka appeared in the distance and started approaching them.
Karlos and Brandon immediately became alert, thinking it might be a pirate boat. Karlos even grabbed his backpack, just in case.
Fortunately, it wasn't a pirate boat. They even recognized the bangka because its paint pattern was familiar.
"That's Antonio's bangka... No, that should be Robin's bangka now." Brandon corrected himself, remembering the change of ownership.
"Hey, Karlos! Brandon! You guys are fishing here?" Bastos shouted as he greeted them, grinning widely as if he had just found treasure.
Karlos and Brandon shared the same thought and didn't bother answering Bastos.
"We're caught," Brandon sighed weakly.
The fishing spot they had been hiding for months had finally been discovered by other fishermen. This meant competition would increase and more boats would likely show up.
"But we're also lucky." Karlos grinned and patted a small container beside him.
Brandon smirked as well.
"Yeah, I think this isn't that bad. At least we discovered the ginseng before anyone else did. Karlos, you're really a lucky guy. You just thought about exploring the island, and now we have three ginseng plants." Brandon smiled.
He had always known that their fishing spot would eventually be discovered. The sea belonged to everyone. It was only a matter of time before others found the island.
And now that another bangka had arrived, Brandon had no choice but to accept it.
"I know someone who can help us determine the price of the ginseng," Karlos said. He could call Larry or Roman regarding the matter.
"First, before you make any decision, I want to make something clear. I'll only take 5%," Brandon said firmly.
"Are you sure?" Karlos looked surprised.
"You're the one who discovered the ginseng, and you're also the one who dug it up. I just helped you. We already agreed that I'll get a 5% profit share whenever we make money. That's already enough for me."
"..."
Karlos was speechless as he looked at Brandon's eyes. His crossed eyes made it difficult to tell where Brandon was actually looking.
Still, Karlos could see that Brandon was sincere.
"Alright, since you've made that decision, I'll give the smaller ginseng to you," Karlos said.
"Hey, you don't have to do that."
"I insist." Karlos waved his hand dismissively. In fact, he had already planned to leave the two smaller ginseng plants for each of them while selling the biggest one.
"... Thank you, Karlos."
Brandon felt grateful to have a friend like Karlos. The reason he didn't fight for a bigger share was because of Karlos's unique talent. After working with him for months, Brandon was completely convinced that Karlos was blessed by the sea.
He didn't want to sacrifice their friendship for money. He also didn't want to offend someone who could summon the elusive shark.
Besides, a 5% profit share wasn't bad at all. At the end of the day, it was true that Karlos discovered the ginseng and did most of the work. The credit belonged to him.
He was already grateful that Karlos gave him the smaller ginseng. It could be used as medicine in case Brandon or his parents got sick, although Brandon didn't know the proper recipe.
"Aye, Karlos! Why aren't you guys answering us!?"
Robin's boat got closer and Bastos raised his voice while waving energetically.
Karlos and Brandon stopped talking about the ginseng and looked at Bastos, Robin, and another teenager named Escudero.
Robin averted his gaze while holding the steering handle. He believed that Karlos and Brandon were angry with them. Even Escudero looked down awkwardly, not daring to speak.
"Haha, so this is the place where you guys fish!" Unlike his two friends, Bastos was in a great mood.
At last, after a week of searching the sea, they had found Karlos and Brandon's fishing spot. They had tried to follow them last time, but that plan failed. However, it still gave Bastos a general direction of where they might be fishing.
All he had to do was follow that direction and hope for the best.
And luck was finally on his side.